User blog:BachLynn23/My Trip to Wikia HQ
"This Message is Brought to You by: Bach!!!" Hello ! So as I've been absolutely fangirling about the trip I went on for like 2 months beforehand, I'm sure many of you know that this last week (1st thru the 3rd of May) I was in San Francisco California hanging out with Wikia staff at the Wikia headquarters!!!!!!!!!!! So I just wanted to tell you guys some of the cool things that went on while I was there :)!!! I wish I had taken way more pictures than I did, but there was so much to do and see and talk about I forgot >.< Meeting Staff First off, I always had a high opinion of staff before, but upon meeting and getting to actually hang out with staff, that opinion has only improved. They all genuinely love their jobs, Wikia and the users (which by the way is you guys xD). They work hard to bring you guys the best experience possible on Wikia and in my opinion do a pretty amazing job at it. Wikia isn't one of those big corporatey detached corporations that doesn't seem to pay much attention to the needs of their users, they really do want to work with the users as much as is possible to make sure that you guys are happy. Sometimes it's hard to make sure all users are happy and sometimes they have to be perceived as the bad guy in order to help the wiki's out. They are also only human and sometimes they have a bad day, so if you've ever had a point where you had a negative experience with staff, try and keep that in mind. I've met them all and believe me, they are all really great, really friendly people who only want to help. Staff welcomed me and the other user who also went (who is now like my bff >.<) with open arms. It was hard not to feel appreciated, staff was eager to hear our input on things coming from the fact that we are users just like you guys, just more proof that they genuinely care about their user base and doing what's best for the Wikia community. Around the Office Ok so first off, let me just say the fact that they have a dog friendly office is just the coolest thing ever. They had three dogs there, pets that belong to some of the staff, that come to the office on a regular basis. One was this big white fluffy pyrenees owned by Jen named Falcor, absolutely adorable. Another was Daisy, a little sweetheart of a chihuahua that Sannese rescued. The third I can't remember who owns her >.< The other thing I loved about their office is that it reminded me of everything Wikia stands for. It's this big open place, where everyone works together. I felt like when you walk into their office, it's like walking into a family, not some impersonal office. Being Interviewed While there one of the members of staff (doh >.< forgot her name but I'm still tired from the trip and dealing with jet lag, it'll come to me) interviewed Kelly and myself and they'll have a video up on, I think the community central wiki. As soon as it is I'll get you guys a link. Bridging the Gap Wikia is constantly working to bridge the gaps between staff and the user base. Having programs like Community Council and Wikia Stars are two ways they do that. On top of holding regular office hours and webinars on community central and are always open to and looking for new ways they can help. I hope to use my spot on wikia stars and community council to further bridge that gap. Any time any of you have problems or ideas, and either can't or are too scared to bring them to wikia staff yourself, please feel free to bring them to me and I will make sure they get passed on to the appropriate staff. In Closing It's thanks to you guys really that I was able to go on that trip. You guys on this community is what keeps me coming back to wikia every day. Everything I do, I do for our community and our family and for the hopes to bring what we've learned here to other communities on Wikia and to help other wiki's grow like ours. You should all be proud of your accomplishments here, even if all you do is come here on a regular basis and roleplay, you are still contributing to helping keep this wiki alive and thriving. Thank you Category:Archived Blog Posts Category:BachLynn23